Pivot joint for 6-wheel shuttle car



J. G. |vY 3,490,625

PIVOT JOINT FOR 6WHEEL SHUTTLE CARv I 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 JUNIN. y

ATTORNEY Jan. 20, 1970 Filed July 1, 1968 Jan. 20, 1970 J. G. lvY 3,490,625

PIVOT JOINT FOR GfWHEEL SHUTTLE CAR Filed July 1, 1968 5 Sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR.

64 V `BY 4 l Joseph G. Ivy

ATTORNEY Jan. 20, 1970 J. G. IVY

PIVOT JOINT FOR G'WHEEL SHUTTLEI CAR 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 1, 196e Fig. 5

INVENTOR. Joseph G. Ivyl ATTORNEY United States Patent C) 3,490,625 PIVOT JOINT FOR 6-WHEEL SHUTTLE CAR Joseph G. Ivy, Hinsdale, Ill., assignor to Westinghouse Air Brake Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed July 1, 1968, Ser. No. 741,381 Int. Cl. B60d 7/00; B62d 53/04 U.S. Cl. 214-8336 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Background of the invention The field of this invention is commonly called a shuttle car and is used primarily in underground mines for hauling coal, ore, and the like, outbye of the face to a carryaway conveyor. The body is open at each end and has a bottom conveyor which moves material from a receiving section to a discharge section. It shuttles back and forth in the space between the advancing' mine face and the less-frequently advanced conveyor, hence the name shuttle car.

The form of shuttle car with which the present invention is concerned is a 6-wheel shuttle car. Although compact and low in height, such a shuttle car is very heavy, commonly weighing 10, 20 and more tons when loaded. Receiving and discharge body sections arepivotally interconnected for up and down movement about ajtransverse axis adjacent a pair of intermediate supporting wheels. As the shuttle car moves along a rough Hoor, the body sections are constantly working about the pivot to maintain all 6 wheels on the ground. There is a nut cracker effect tending to tear the pivot joint apart, and placing great stress and strain on it, when the car is fully loaded and either body section is tilted up relative to the other. A further complication is that an elevatable discharge boom section is supported by one of the body sections and is preferably pivotable about the same joint that interconnects the two body sections. A still further complication is the requirement that the sidewalls of the car be as wide as possible for maximum capacity. The conveyor which runs along the bottom of the car, adjacent the pivot joint, must be strong and extend all the way out to the sidewalls. And the outside width of the car must be as narrow as possible to enable it to negotiate thenarrow entries and rooms in a mine.

In short, precisely in the area of the pivot joint, there is competition for space, and design compromises have resulted in either a weak pivot joint or thick sidewalls and therefore unnecessarily low car capacity.

Brief summary of invention A principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved pvot joint for a 6-wheel shuttle carin which the joint has great strength, without detracting from carrying capacity.

An important object of this invention is to utilize relatively thin sidewalls and rigidity them by tension and compressive forces to provide the basic support structure for the main pivot joint for the body and discharge boom.

A specific object is to rigidity the sidewalls of one of 3,490,625 Patented Jan. 20, 1970 ICC the pivoted sections by gripping the sidewalls between tension and compression members extending along the pivot axis, and then employing the so-rigidiiied structure as a high strength, light weight, low bulk base on which the sidewalls of the other two sections are pivoted.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view of a 6-wheel shuttle car constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, partially sectioned view of FIG. 1, taken with the center wheel and tramming motor removed and showing an end view of the pivot joint comprising the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of FIG. 2 taken along the line 3-3;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view of FIG. 2 taken along the line 4 4; and

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of FIG. 3 taken in two elevations along the line 5 5.

Like parts are indicated by like reference characters throughout the drawings.

In the improved mine haulage vehicle (generally called a 6-wheel shuttle car by those familiar with the art), it comprises generally a material carrying body 10 divided into two articulated body sections, namely receiving and discharge sections 12 and 14 hinged together for up and down movement about a pivot joint 16. An elevateable discharge boom section 18, forming part of the discharge body section 14 and supported thereby, is also pivotable about joint 16.

Endless conveyor means 20 comprises a pair of laterally spaced chains `22 having iiights 24 therebetween trained in a conveying reach running along iloor plates 25 and 26 in the receiving body section 12 and the discharge boom section 18 respectively. The conveyor return run is supported by inwardly extending flanges 28 in the receiving section 12, and is supported adjacent the pivOt 16 by inwardly extending anges 30` in the discharge body section 14. When the discharge boom 18 is elevated, the return run of the conveyor chain will be lifted out of engagement with the flanges 30.

The shuttle car body 10 is provided with a pair of center supporting wheels 32 mounted on the receiving body section adjacent the pivot joint 16. Pairs of steering wheels 34 and 36 are located fore and aft of the center wheels 32, on body sections 12 and 14 respectively. Detailed mechanisms for power-tramming the Wheels, and for braking and' steering them, are shown and described in the prior art including Patent 3,302,739 and will not be repeated here except to point out as shown in FIG. 4 that each of the wheels may be powered by an individual electric motor 38; and at least the center wheels may be braked by a brake 40 located on the backside of the motor.

The receiving body section 12 has a pair of upstanding sidewalls 42, 42, each terminating in an upper, out-turned stiening ledge 44. This is relatively thin sheet steel andv is strengthened for support of the center wheels 32 and the pivot joint 16 as follows. A box frame structure indicated generally at 46 includes a pair of upper and lower frame members 48 50 which are welded to a pair of side channel members 52 and 54. This box-shaped frame s secured as by bolts 56 to the vertical stiiteners 58 and 60 which are aixed as by welding to the outside of each body receiving section sidewall 42. Stiifener 58 s longer than 60, extending the full height of the receiving section at its end adjacent the pivot joint 16. A pair of upper and lower horizontal struts 62 and 64 are welded across the stilfeners 58, 60 and to sidewall 42. The motor 38 is shown in outline only in FIG. 2

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, each receiving section sidewall 42 has a relatively thick pivot extension or support 66 welded to the outside and provided with a pivotal bearing bore 68 for the joint 16.

The discharge body section has a pair of upstanding sidewalls 70 which are apertured as at 72 to receive a tension shaft 74 to be described. An operators station 76 together with a choice of seats and steering wheel is carried by the discharge body section as shown in FIG. 1.

The elevateable boom 18 has a pair of upstanding sidewalls 78 between which the floor plate 26 is supported as by welding. As shown in FIG. 2, the floor plate 26 terminates atop th joint 16 and a curved plat 80 continues on around the joint 16 and back to the underside of the plate 26, serving as a guide for the return run of the conveyor when the boom is elevated. Within the plates 26 and 80, at the joint 16, there is welded a tubular bearing member 82 which is pivotally journaled about a compression member generally designated 84.

The compression member 84 in the present case com prises three tubular sections 84a, 8412 and 84C. Rings 86 on the reduced diameter section 84b function as placement guids to facilitate assembly.

The overall length of the compression member 84, between the end surfaces 88, is sufficient to place those ends in abutting engagement with the inner surfaces of one of the pairs of sidewalls; in this case, specifically, the inner surfaces 90 of the upstanding sidewalls 70 of the discharge body section.

The tension member 74, previously referred to, is in effect an oversize bolt having a large flat head 92 and a washer 94, and the entire pivot joint is assembled by tightening lock nuts 96, 98 onto the threaded end 100 of the tension member.

The member 74 comprises an elongated shaft 102 with the head 92 taking the form of an annular disc welded as at 104.

An L cross section sleeve bearing member 106 is pressed onto the periphery of the head 92. An inner extension 108 of the sleeve bearing fits within a peripheral groove 110 formed on the head 92 and stabilizes the bearing against shifting in an outward direction. The outer surface 112 of the sleeve bearing is pivotally slidable relative to the inner bearing surface 68 of the receiving section extension 66. This enables up and down'pivotal movement of the receiving and discharge body sections about the axis of joint 16.

In elevating the boom 18, relative to the discharge body section 14 (by means not shown), the inner tubular surface 114 has pivotal bearing engagement with the outer surfaces 116 of the compression member 84.

It is important, for maximum strength in the pivot joint, that there be substantially no transverse clearance to serve as the starting point for overstressing the joint when one end of the car strikes a mine rib or other object, or the wheels become slightly out of line causing them to drag one of the body sections to one side or the other. With this in mind, annular shims 118 are provided between the receiving section extensions 66 and the discharge body section sidewalls 70. And similarly annular shims 120 are provided between the sidewalls 70 and 78 of the discharge body section and the discharge boom.

In assembling the pivot joint 16 the lock nuts 96, 98 will be tightened to place the tension member shaft portion 102 in tension and all three of the elements comprising the compression member 84 in compression. This will positively grip the side walls 70 of the discharge body section between the ends 88 of the compression member on the one hand and the head 92 and washer 94 on the other hand. The head 92 and washer 94 are of relatively large diameter, furnishing a substantial diametric span pressing against the sidewalls 70. This rigidif'ies the sidewalls 70 with the tension and compression members 74, 84, and furnishes a strong but compact and lightweight support about which the body sections 12 anr 14 and the discharge boom section 18 are relatively pivotable along a common transverseaxis.

While I have herein shown and described one form in which the invention may be embodied, it may readily be understood that Various variations and modifications in the invention may be attained without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe novel concepts thereof.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an articulated .mine haulage vehicle having a pair of articulately interconnected receiving. and discharge body sections with the adjacent ends'open to each other;

said discharge body section including a discharge boom section supported thereby;

a continuous passage floor in said receiving body and discharge boom sections; said ybody and boom sections having transversely spaced pairs of upstanding sidewalls;

conveying means extending along said floor adapted to move material through said body sections for receiving, storage, and discharge purposes;

said boom and said 4body sections being interconnected at the adjacent ends of said body sections for pivotal movement relative to each other about a common transverse axis;

a pair of centered supporting wheels mounted on one of said body sections adjacent said common axis; pairs of steerable end supporting Wheels mounted on said' body sections and spaced from said center supporting wheels; j means for driving and braking selected wheels; improved lpivot means comprising:

elongated, transverse tension and compression members extending along said common axis and compressively clamping both opposite sidewalls of one of said sections together into a v rigid support structure; and

the other t-wo of said sections being journaled relative to said tension and compression members for pivotal mov-ement about said common axls.

2. In an articulated mine haulage vehicle, the combination vof claim 1 in which said one section is the discharge section.

3. In an articulated mine haulage vehicle, the combination of claim 1 in which said compression member is an elongated tube extending betweenopposite sidewalls of said one section and having end portions respectively engaging inner surfaces of said sidewalls; l

said tension member is an elongated shaft within said tube having end portions respectively engaging outer surfaces of said sidewalls; and

threaded tightening means associated with said tension and compression members for gripping the sidewalls of said one section therebetween.

-4. In an articulated mine haulage vehicle, the combination of claim 1 in which said compression member is an elongated tube extending between opposite sidewalls of said discharge body section having ends respectively engaging inner surfaces of the sidewalls thereof;

said tension member is an elongated shaft within said tube having'a head at one end engaged with the outer surface of one sidewall of the discharge body section and having a washer at the other end engaged with the outer surface of the other sidewall of the discharge body section, and a nut threadedly engaged with the tension member beyond the washer and effective when tightened to 'grip the discharge body section sidewalls between the head and washer and the ends of the compression member.

5. In an articulated mine haulage vehicle, the combination of claim 4 is which said discharge boom section is pivotally jour-naled on said compression member.

6. In an articulated mine haulage vehicle, the combination of claim 4 in which said receiving body section is pivotally journaled on said tension member. 7. In an articulated mine haulage vehicle, the combination of claim 4 in which the sidewalls of the receiving body section are pivotally journaled respectively on said head and washer. 8. In an articulated mine haulage vehicle, the combination of claim 4 in which the elongated tube comprising the compression member has a reduced diameter mid-section to provide clearance relative to pivotally journaled mid-portion of the discharge boom section. 9. In an articulated mine haulage vehicle, the combination of claim 4 in which annular shims concentric with said common axis are interposed between the sidewalls of the discharge body section and the discharge boom section to limit relative transverse clearance therebetween. 10. In an articulated mine haulage vehicle, the combination of claim 4 in which annular shims concentric Iwith said com-mon axis are interposed between the sidewalls of the receiving and discharge body sections to limit relative transverse clearance therebetween.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,277,974 10/1966 Brill 180422 ALBERT J MAKAY, Primary Examiner 

